Comtesse du Barry Advent Calendar

When you specialize in supplying the world with high-end delicacies like foie gras, smoked salmon and caviar from the southwest of France, your clientele expects a certain sophistication, particularly around the holidays. Last year, to help lovers of fine food everywhere count down the days until Christmas, the gourmet house Comtesse du Barry released an advent calendar like no other.

Through a clever use of folding, foil and perforations, Paris’ Agence 2S skillfully wedded a stylish, up-market look with interactivity designed to enchant the child in everyone.

As the designers explain:

“In 2017, Comtesse du Barry immersed itself in the wonderful world of origami. This theme corresponds to its traditional inheritance and its two fundamental values: gastronomy and aristocracy. Originally, origami were made with quality materials by aristocrats who wished to present gifts that would show their benevolence to their addressee.”

While generations brought up on paper swans may quibble over whether this qualifies as true origami, there’s no denying the precision and attention to detail that went into crafting a package that folds so neatly into a rectangular box, nor the impression it leaves on those who encounter it.

Coming as it does during the Christmas season, it puts one in mind of those complicated play sets and Barbie holders from childhoods past. The word “dazzling” gets thrown around a lot these days, but with two metallized Pantone colors, glossy UV AND foil, you really can’t help but be dazzled by this.

And in keeping with the patterns printed and foil applied to the box, there are also triangular perforations – one for nearly every day in December – just waiting to be opened by eager fingers. Behind each, mouth-watering Comtesse du Barry confections await you, from chocolates and toffees to fruit jellies and nougats, sure to whet anyone’s appetite for the approaching holiday.